Forget Me Not
by The-one-fiestyfeline
Summary: Rhea Hale is the definition of a loner. With nothing to lose and everything to gain she sets off to achieve her dream. On her journey, she finds herself in a new world. While there she is trapped and enlisted to help Mukuro and her team to investigate who is killing the humans that accidentally cross over into the Makai and why are they framing Mukuro and Hiei? HieiXOC
1. New Beginnings

"Well screw you too jerk!" she yelled laying on the horn of her beloved black 1990 Jeep Wrangler. Manhattan traffic was horrible, as usual, and Rhea was running late for her meeting with her school advisor. When she finally made it, it was 15 minutes passed her scheduled time. "Damn it!" throwing her Jeep into park, she grabbed her bag and ran towards the school.

"Come in Ms. Hale." Mr. Anderson gestured Rhea to the chair in front of his desk. Nervously she sat waiting to hear where she would be placed to continue her studies. "I would like to first congratulate you on completing your Anthropology degree here at New York University." Nodding she adjusted her cat eye glasses, the summer heat mixed with nerves made it feel like a beehive was in her belly. "I see here you wish to continue your education in this field with a specialization in forensics and eventually earn your PH.D." he paused "That takes at least another 6 years of school Ms. Hale"

"Yes sir. I want to become a Forensic Anthropo-"

"I understand that Ms. Hale, but do you really think you have what it takes." Mr. Anderson interrupted.

Before Rhea could respond the door to Mr. Anderson's office opened. "Ah Mr. Hunt! So glad to see you!" Mr. Anderson stood to shake the hand of one of Rhea's classmates who also graduated this spring. Charles Hunt, the golden boy, womanizer, teacher kiss ass.

He is one of the beautiful people, the people that may look good on the outside, but on the inside, they're shit.

"Sorry Mr. Anderson I came a bit early." Charles said scratching the back of his head, neither of them acknowledging Rhea's presence. She knew Charles wasn't really sorry.

"Nonsense have a seat please." He gestured towards the seat Rhea was sitting in, the only seat in the room. She stood up on instinct, "well wait a second Mr. Anderson our meeting isn't over yet…" Rhea looked over at the time "we still have 10 minutes left."

As Mr. Anderson went rummaging through his desk, Charles grabbed Rhea's chair and took a seat. Rhea looked at Charles dumbfounded, but should she really be so surprised? "Here you go Ms. Hale." Mr. Anderson practically threw the manila envelope at Rhea then opened the bottom drawer of his desk and began to pull out rocks glasses and an old bottle of scotch.

"So, Charles tell me. You look to continue your education?" Mr. Anderson poured two glasses of scotch, Charles took one and put both of his feet up on Mr. Anderson's desk. They began to have a conversation about Charles' future, he wanted much like what Rhea envisioned for herself. Mr. Anderson was overwhelmingly supporting, like a proud father. Rhea opened her mouth to argue but she realized it didn't matter, her time here was done.

Walking back to her Jeep Rhea lost herself in thought. The halls of the school were mostly empty now that class was out. The clicking of Rhea's heels she had since high school was the only sound that echoed through the halls. When she finally returned to her Jeep she took them off and threw them into the passenger seat. Before boosting herself in Rhea peeled off her sweat dampened blazer she bought at a secondhand store. With a huff she plopped herself into the drivers seat and pulled away, the school in her rearview mirror, never looking back.

1 Week Later

She was on the I-80 W headed toward Wisconsin. When she got home from her last meeting with Mr. Anderson a week ago she finally grew the courage to open the envelope. He placed her in the northern peninsula of Wisconsin to begin her internship. Rhea was ticked, he could have at least placed her in Milwaukee. Where she was going she would get the least experience with dead bodies… unless of course you count those that died of naturally causes… but those weren't any fun.

Strapped in next to her was Fred, Rhea's plant companion she's had for a little over a year. The longest relationship she's had, thank you very much. Cranking the tunes and taking a few big gulps of soda Rhea focused on the road. She had been driving for 8 or so hours and didn't want to stop to sleep, people worked 16 hours straight before so why couldn't she drive that long?

As night fell it got harder to stay awake. Rhea stopped a few more times to get coffee which helped some. Only four more hours… Rhea thought, sipping the last bit of coffee from her Styrofoam cup. The bags under her eyes became heavy weights as the road became but a blur. Flashes of light crackled above, jolting her awake. She rolled up the windows of her Jeep. No rain came but the flashes of light got brighter and brighter. Keeping her eyes on the road Rhea attempted to find a weather station on her radio but nothing came through, just white noise. "what is going on?" she mumbled as the rumbling of thunder shook the very road she was driving on. By the time Rhea realized something was in the middle of the road it was too late. The Jeeps tires squealed as the black rubber clung to the asphalt. Rhea screamed, closing her eyes to brace for impact…

Thunder and a sharp pain at the bridge of her noise woke Rhea. As she lifted her head from the steering wheel air bag she realized that she had crashed right into tree, the second thing she noticed was her blood stained T-shirt. She groaned as the pain got worse with movement and glanced at herself in the rearview mirror to see the disaster that was her face. Her nose was obviously broken, and cuts from glass and tree branches only made it look worse. Taking both her hands she placed her index fingers at the bridge of her nose, applied more and more pressure until she heard the famous crack that signaled the bones were set. If school taught her anything it was how to set broken bones. Rhea used her shirt to wipe some of the blood from her face. Saving the shirt now a lost cause. Her mind slowly became clouded, she supposed the impact was great enough to cause a concussion. With her increasing confusion, she clumsily searched for her backpack. Pulling it from under her suitcase she slung it over her shoulder. Before opening the door she looked over at her plant companion to see his pot shattered. "I'm gunna find us help."

The reassurance mostly for her.

Opening the door she stuck her foot out but instead of finding the ground she found… nothing. Rhea's stomach dropped as she fought off the scream clawing at her throat. With the sudden jerk in movement the car creaked and branches snapped. Rhea let out a blood curdling scream. Once all seemed calm Rhea opened her eyes. She didn't just hit a tree, she was literally in the tree.

Fuck.

Rhea sobered her mind as best she could knowing she had very little time before the branch that was holding the Jeep would give to the weight of the vehicle. Willing herself down, she stepped onto sturdy branches, until finally her feet where met with solid earth. Taking a few moments to catch her breath she evaluated her surroundings. Rhea couldn't decide which way the road was so with a quick eenie meenie minee moe she turned on her flash light she had in bag, slung the bag over her shoulder and began her trek.

"Finally, a human… I'm starving." Rhea froze "I-is someone there? I need help!" "Do you hear that? The human needs help!" Cackling surrounded her. Rhea dropped her bag to the ground and unzipped the front pocket. She searched around until she saw the hot pink plastic keychain of her never used, and very old, pepper spray. Quickly she unlocked the safety of the plastic and held it in the direction she first heard the voice.

"Stay back! I have pepper spray!" Rhea trembled but was able to keep her voice from cracking. Barely.

A small being lept from one of the bushes, Rhea took her aim and pressed hard on the trigger. It shot a stream of thick liquid and hit the beast between the eyes. It staggered back some giving Rhea a moment to run for it. Her head pounded with her heart as she raced for safety, but safety never came. The forest trees got thicker and the sounds of beasts and evil laughs rang in Rhea's ears. Tears streamed down her face as fear took its grip on Rhea's heart and mind. She pushed herself forward her will to survive leading her on as the stinging in eyes and pounding in her brain nearly made her blind.

She fought to stay conscious but as she did her steps became sloppy. Rhea tripped on what felt like a tree root and began to roll down a steep hill. She tried to scream, tried to reach out, but her injuries had taken its toll and her speed was increasing. Rhea began to slip from consciousness, her body becoming numb to the rocks and sticks slamming into her body on her decent. To Rhea this made sense, everyone else thought she wouldn't make it, so then why should she? It was just when Rhea came to terms with her death and was giving into the darkness that she felt… warmth?

Hot hands grabbed at Rhea stopping her from rolling any further down the hill. Her instincts told her to run, but her mind knew that was impossible. Rhea cracked her eyes open enough to make out the person, or thing that had hold of her. If she was going to be eaten she at least wanted to see the face of her murder.

Three eyes glowing blue is all she could see of her assailant. "Fuck you…" Rhea mouthed to the beast, her voice now gone. "Pathetic…" it spat in a surprisingly human-sounding voice. Rhea slipped unconscious fully prepared for her end, little did she know, this was only the beginning.

8 Days Later

A few times Rhea awoke from her comatose state but only for a few moments at a time. The beings helping her definitely didn't look human nor did they sound human. Rhea assumed this was just a side effect of her injuries but as they healed things only got more puzzling. The room she was in was dark and had weird fixtures and utensils that certainly didn't belong in a hospital. On her mental list of places where she could be she was all the way down at the bottom; aliens.

"She's awake." A ghoul looking thing said aloud, the doors behind him opening.

A man walked in, his red eyes studying Rhea like some sort of test subject. She attempted to sit up but the dizziness told her otherwise. As she lay flat on the table she turned her head to look at the man the eye on his forehead pulsated blue. It almost seemed familiar but Rhea couldn't say why. "Once you are fully healed you will be returned to your people and have no memory of this place or anything that has taken place here." He stated as if he has said it a million times before. He held up his right hand over Rhea, ready to snap his fingers.

"Wait."

The doors opened again this time a mummy like thing coming forward. "She may be useful to us." It looked to the man standing over Rhea his right hand not moving from its position. "what makes you think that?" He questioned, his expression that of loathing. "Not here…" The mummy turned and left the room, it wasn't until then that the three-eyed man dropped his hand and shoved it back into his pocket. Rhea tried to speak, to question what they wanted, but her voice failed her. He smirked at her as if he knew what she wanted to say, he turned and disappeared.

Rhea was alone.

Day 10

With her mind clear and injuries healed enough to move again Rhea found herself shackled to a chair. She was in a dark room illuminated by eerie candlelight. Her theory of aliens still going strong.

"Ms. Rhea Hale. 27-year-old human female. No family, no friends, and single. Graduate from New York University…" The mummy paused. "Anthropology degree?" it asked more than stated. The three-eyed man leaned against the wall across from them, though now he wore a headband, eyes closed.

"Yes." Rhea cleared her throat. "It's the study of human biological and physiological evolution."

The mummy leaned back in its seat. " I reviewed the literature you had in your bag, you also had books about forensics."

Rhea nodded. " I want to have a specialty in forensics. I would study human bodies and determine how and when they died."

"interesting…" The mummy seemed to think to itself for a moment and then lifted the bandages covering its face to reveal a woman.

"My name is Mukuro, the man behind me Hiei. Hiei found you near death in our woods here in the Makai. A dangerous place for a human such as yourself."

Rhea was so confused and terrified of what was happening she remained silent trying to sort through the mess she was in. The Makai?

"You see Ms. Hale. Normally we send back humans that cross into our realm but you may be useful to me." Rhea could tell by the way Mukuro spoke that she was dangerous. The man, Hiei, remained quiet.

"How is it that I can help you? Where am I? How did I get here?" Rhea asked fear easily detected in every word.

Mukuro stood and released the shackles binding Rhea. "Come, I shall show you." rubbing her wrists Rhea followed silently keeping her gaze to the floor. Mukuro brought her to a room filled with technology she had never seen before. It almost looked like an operating room, just one not meant for humans.

"This way." Mukuro led her to a table that had bones splayed in every which way on top of it. As Rhea got closer she realized the bones where human and from a young human at that.

Her hands went cold and clammy as her eyes scanned the remains from head to toe.

Rhea was looking at the bones of a young boy no older than 12 years of age with a neck fracture at his C5 vertebrae. His bones were riddled with fractures and breaks throughout but Rhea could see the C5 injury is what killed him. It broke Rhea's heart.

"Who did this?" Anger taking the place of fear Rhea looked to Mukuro for answers.

"This is why we need you. Someone here in this world is killing humans as they cross the pseudo space from Ningenkai to the Makai."

"Why are you being so open with me? An outsider? How do I know it isn't you that killed this poor boy?" Rhea boldly questioned.

Mukuro smiled,"Ming, take our visitor to her room she has had enough for one day."

Rhea kicked and screamed but nothing she did could break her free of Ming's grasp.

Once to Rhea's room, Ming provided her with water and some hot soup. Rhea refused both. Ming sat with her a few moments contemplating what he could tell her. When silent tears began to stream down Rhea's face Ming spoke.

He explained to Rhea where she was and how she got there, that Mukuro and her followers were being framed for murdering humans. This was a problem as the new King of the Makai forbids any violence towards humans. Rhea took everything in, how Mukuro was treating her as a guest was just a façade, the moment she disobeyed orders was the moment she would die. After answering Rhea's questions to the best of his ability and knowledge Ming left Rhea to herself.

"Get some rest kid, you're going to need it." Were his parting words, but Rhea didn't sleep.

The Next Morning: Hiei's POV

Hiei waited as Ming brought the human girl from her room. The servants reported the girl refused her meals and did not sleep. Agitated by Rhea's stubbornness Hiei crossed his arms, cursing Mukuro for her decision to keep the human girl here.

Finally, Ming opened the doors to the examining room with Rhea beside him. Her long brown hair was atop her head in a messy bun. She wore a white T-shirt one size too big for her frame, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her pair fitted black pants. Both freshly clean from when she first arrived here in the Makai. When she glanced in his direction Hiei saw her right eye was a bright auburn and the left a deep blue. When her eyes met his she immediately averted them to the ground.

"Master Hiei, Ms. Rhea Hale." Ming bowed to Hiei and left the human and demon alone in the room. Rhea crossed her arms and pouted, turning her head from him. Hiei's hand twitched for his sword ready to lop off the woman's head.

"You will do as I say, when I say it." Hiei ordered. Rhea glared up to Hiei, this being the first time she held Hiei's gaze. What Hiei saw there was not an obedient woman willing to take orders, but a stubborn one fully hell-bent on making this the most painful and difficult experience possible.

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! Please leave a review with your thoughts on this first chapter! Thanks for ready! :)


	2. Cat and Mouse

**Rhea's** prov

Rhea was never any good at making friends nor was she good at doing what she was told. Ming informed her about Hiei and his temper and general hate for humans but Rhea didn't care. He also warned her to hold her tongue and sassy remarks as it could get her killed, but she didn't listen.

Both Hiei and Rhea stood over one table of many. Some of her belongings were neatly placed there as if they had been examined. Including her not so flattering driver's license, the picture of her when she was 18 glaring up at her. "Those are mine." Rhea flatly stated. The demon didn't respond, which pissed Rhea off. "If you want me to help you and your ruler, you will give me back my thin—" "Shut up fool before I cut your tongue out." Hiei snapped. Rhea crunched her nose and inhaled ready to fire back at the bastard but was cut short.

" Hiei, Ms. Hale, may I interest you with some morning coffee?" Ming pushed a cart into the room with two coffee mugs and a thermos. As Ming poured the coffee he kept his eyes trained on Rhea. They had the look of a mother warning a child in the market that they were skating on thin ice. He handed Rhea her coffee, placed the thermos on the table and left the room.

Rhea looked down into her mug. It looked and smelled like coffee. "It's coffee," Hiei stated. She hated how it always seemed he could read her mind "If I wanted to kill you I would run you through with my sword, not poison you." He sipped his coffee, Rhea hoped he'd choke on it. "Thanks for the heads up." Rhea smiled sarcastically and took a sip.

It tasted like shit.

"Sounds like you two are getting along just fine." Mukuro entered the room with an amused expression. "I'm sure Ming told you why you are here, Rhea?" Rhea didn't need to think about it, the conversation from last night was fresh in her mind.

"Because you wish to use my expertise to figure out who is killing the humans." Mukuro nodded "and?" Rhea continued "and clear both your and Hiei's names. Since whoever is doing this seems to be framing the both of you" She stepped closer to Rhea, so close that they were practically touching. "and what happens if you don't obey me, Ms. Hale?" Mukuro looked at Rhea like a predator would its prey. Rhea dropped her gaze to the floor "You will kill me…" she whispered. Mukuro's glare turned into a twisted smile. "Smart girl… we have an understanding then?" Rhea nodded slowly bringing her watery gaze to Mukuro's.

"These are your items that were not looted from your vehicle. I have my men working on that contraption so when you return to home you will have it. Think of it as a thank you for your services." With a nod to Hiei, she left the two to stand in silence.

"You better get working, she is good to her word," Hiei said emotionless to Rhea's predicament. She used her sleeve to wipe her eyes, looking at the demon. Rhea couldn't place what it was that bothered her about Hiei. Her training in profiling a subject was minimal and his continued stoic stature made it that much harder for her to figure out. She would have to keep an eye on him.

"I will need books."

"What?"

"Books, you know, about your people, or are your people illiterate?"

"Do you have a death wish?"

Rhea sighed "I don't know anything about your people or their anatomy, assuming it is different than human anatomy. I will need to educate myself if I am going to be accurate in my assessments." "Which is exactly why I brought you these." Rhea couldn't recall when Ming entered the room but was glad to see him. He was the only one to not threaten her with her life since she came.

When Rhea turned to give one last snide remark towards Hiei she found he had left without her noticing. She was going to have to get better at paying attention to her surroundings. These demons moved quickly.

"I will leave these with you and take your belongings to your room." Rhea took a seat at the table and grabbed the first book at the top of the stack. The title read Apparition History.

Before Ming left, Rhea had to ask "Ming, was there a fern in my Jeep?" Ming looked puzzled at her question.

"A fern?"

"Mhm"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"Forget it."

She would have to look for Fred later. Right now, her life was at stake.

Early Evening

As the day turned to night Rhea studied. She read about demon culture, the difference in demon breeds, even demon mating rituals which she would have to admit were both terrifying and intriguing. Ming visited regularly, and maybe it was the sleepiness playing with her eyes but she could swear she saw a three-eyed demon lurking in the shadows every now and then.

"Here have some tea- oh and I found these in your belongings." Rhea was relieved to see her glasses made it through the crash undamaged. "This makes things a little easier." She smiled, placing the black cat-eye frames on the bridge of her nose.

"Have any questions?" He asked eyeing the page Rhea was currently reading. "Not really, but it does look like some pages of these books are missing. Like they have been torn out. Do you know where I could find them?" Ming looked over the book. "Well isn't that peculiar. I'm afraid there are not many copies of these books in our world. What we have is what we have, but I'll keep an eye out." He winked and poured more tea. She studies him a moment, "Ming, what kind of demon are you?" Rhea noticed Ming's hesitation to answer her question.

"I'm similar to what one might call a Yamanate. We are a fairly rare demon with psychic abilities." He smiled softly, his openness greatly appreciated by Rhea. "One more question, what kind of demon is Hiei? I haven't been able to match him to anything I've read so far."

Ming looked around nervously and sat next to Rhea. "We really shouldn't talk about this here. But I can show you this." Quickly Ming took the book from Rhea's hands and flipped to a page. "Here is a good start to answering your question… but be warned, don't let him see you researching this." Ming gathered his things and swiftly left the room, leaving Rhea hungry for answers.

 **Midnight**

A sudden onset of drowsiness took over Rhea as she dozed off resting her head in one of the books she was studying. It wasn't until she was violently shaken that she awoke. "Sorry Ming, I guess I—" When she realized it wasn't Ming's soft face she was seeing but instead Hiei's classic stoic expression she panicked.

Her eyes darted to the book she had been resting on hoping that…

Shit..

She was still on the Ice Apparition chapter Ming told her not to be on when Hiei came around. Her heart began to race. Maybe he wouldn't notice. At this point that's all Rhea could hope for. Hiei raised one brow and looked down at the book Rhea poorly tried to cover with her arm. Before Rhea could protest he snatched it, his eyes scanning the pages. "Who gave this to you?" Hiei slammed the book closed and held it up to Rhea.

She attempted to take it back from him but was unable. "It was given to me to study." Before Rhea's eyes, the book began to smolder and then was completely engulfed in flames. Rhea screamed.

"You bastard!"

"Hn. Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong!"

Rhea rounded on Hiei, but he was easily able to stop her fist from hitting his face. He squeezed her hand causing pain to radiate down her arm. She winced but refused to scream. "How could you! You want me to help you, yet at every turn, you stop me from doing so! What is wrong wi—" Hiei gripped Rhea's neck choking her.

"Don't get it confused, I don't want you here. If it were up to me you'd be in your own fifthly world by now." Hiei squeezed harder, Rhea gasped, her body screaming for air. Her vision began to tunnel, her mouth gaping like a fish, hopelessly trying to breathe.

"What's going on here?" Rhea was dropped to the floor, reaching towards her neck she greedily took in air. Ming rushed over to Rhea. "What have you done?" He questioned, but Hiei didn't respond.

Rhea looked up to Hiei noting his expression. His jaw was clenched, his eyes showing an emotion Rhea couldn't yet place. Anger? No, it wasn't like before. She would have to remember that look, dissect it later when she was alone. For now, he remained high on her suspect list.

Without a word, Hiei left the room.

"He caught you didn't he?"

"Yeah…"

"Come, it's almost morning, you have a busy day tomorrow. Time for bed."

 **Day 11: Morning**

Rhea stretched making baby dinosaur noises as she yawned in her small cot. She was disappointed to see that everything that happened thus far was not a dream. She was really here, in this hell hole of a world. Sluggishly Rhea made her way out of bed and to her closet. She decided on a red T-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. Simple and easy.

A knock came from the door, sleepiness still lingering in her mind she paced over to it. Normally, Rhea would check the peephole but seeing as there wasn't one she took her chances and opened it. A flush painted her cheeks and she could feel warm blotches welt on her neck.

Shirtless and sweaty, Hiei stood at the door with his arms crossed. She quickly turned away, embarrassed. "Good morning." Was all she could think to say to fill the awkward silence between them. "Hn… I thought you could use a shower. I'm headed that way." Rhea was too stubborn to admit that she would give anything to shower, it had been days.

"What makes you think I need to shower?"

"Have you learned anything?"

"More than you would like."

"Then you would know my sense of smell is stronger than yours."

"And?"

"And you stink."

Rhea partially turned looking over her shoulder at the demon who just called her out. She turned back and slowly dropped her nose to her right shoulder.

Yikes, she did stink.

Irritated, Rhea grabbed her clothes and bathing essentials. "Alright fine." She turned, nose in the air "I'm ready."

Hiei smirked, pointing down towards her legs "you sure?" Rhea looked to find herself pantsless, her white T-shirt just skirting past her upper thigh. She groaned. Could things get any worse?

Once she was decent, Rhea followed Hiei down the halls of the moving fortress. Demons large and small conversing about different subjects filled the hallways with noise. It reminded her of the school halls she once walked in what felt like ages ago. As they moved further down taking various rights and lefts the sound of others became more and more distant and eventually disappeared.

"You are in my quarters, not many choose to come here. If you wish to bathe with little interruption I suggest you come here." Hiei entered the room which resembled something of a locker room, much like what you might find in a high school. In the middle wrapped around a large pillar where several showerheads facing outward, the walls were lined with lockers and seating areas.

"Damn it Hiei, what are you doing!?" Without warning, Hiei had dropped his trousers and turned on the water to one of the shower heads. "What? If you're too much of a prude don't look." Rhea separated her fingers to peak through and study him a moment. What caught her eye most were the markings on his right arm, she couldn't make out what it was and took a step closer.

"So, not a prude then?" Hiei turned around facing Rhea, she immediately snapped her wide-eyed gaze to Hiei's. Embarrassment plastered on her face. "Sorry, I was just.. the markings, I-I'm gonna go to the other side," Hiei said nothing as Rhea scurried her way around the pillar to a showerhead directly across from him, blocking him from her view.

It didn't take long for both to shower. Once changed Rhea stepped around to the entrance of the locker room where Hiei was waiting for her. Before leaving she did a quick check in the mirror and couldn't believe her eyes. Despite the amount of pressure Hiei placed on her neck less than 24 hours ago, Rhea did not show any bruising. She touched her neck and didn't feel any soreness, " I don't understand…" She furrowed her brows.

"You don't know do you?" Hiei broke her from thought.

"Know what?" Defensively, Rhea turned to see Hiei walking toward her.

"I'm surprised your beloved books didn't tell you…" He paused, his eyes meeting hers. She looked away. "Normal humans would not last more than a few hours here. Their lungs wouldn't be able to handle it. The demon energy and thick smell of rotting flesh and blood in the air would suffocate them. When they accidentally cross into our world we have little time to get them back before they die." Rhea thought a moment trying to make sense of what he was saying.

"So what you're saying is, I'm not a normal human… what does that mean?" Hiei remained silent "Answer me!" Rhea raised her voice, it echoed through the room "Here you are!" Ming walked into the locker room. Both he and Hiei made eye contact.

Ming smiled, Hiei glared.

"I've been looking for you Rhea, Mukuro wants you in the exam room. I'll take you there if you're ready." With one last look toward Hiei Rhea was disappointed to see his right arm bandaged as it was before.

When her heterochromia eyes wondered to his blood red ones she saw that look again. She clenched her jaw, she needed to figure him out, and fast.

 **Exam Room 1a**

Rhea followed Ming to the exam room after dropping her dirty clothes off into her room. Hiei did not follow. "What's up with you and Hiei?" Rhea casually asked. "huh? What do you mean?" Ming seemed surprised at Rhea's question.

"Well, maybe it's just me, but I feel every time you two are in the same room Hiei becomes… tense." Ming laughed "Ha! Hiei is like that with everyone. He's a weird guy. I'm sorry if he made you feel uncomfortable this morning. I meant to take you to the locker rooms myself but it seems he beat me to the punch." Rhea now felt silly for asking such a question in the first place. Hiei was a weird guy.

As the exam room door came into view Rhea could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "you'll do great, I know it." Ming placed his hand on Rhea's shoulder a reassuring smile on his face. Rhea nodded, afraid if she spoke her voice would fail her. The doors began to open, bright fluorescent lighting spilled into the hallway. With one last deep breath and a wave of Ming's hand, Rhea entered, ready to face whatever Mukuro had waiting for her.

"Good, you're finally here." Mukuro was working on something over the table in the center of the room. Huge lights hung on the ceiling making it feel a lot like an operating room. As she got closer Rhea could see the bones of the 12-year-old deceased child from the other day.

"Examine the bones of this being. Tell me what you see." Rhea looked at the remains seeing the same signs of the trauma she did when she was first brought here. "Judging by the hips and the size of his skull these remains are from a human male, by the lack of development and size, he wasn't older than 12 years of age." Rhea could feel her heart drop as she took a closer look at the remains. Putting on gloves she carefully picked up each bone and examined it, the story of the boys' death unfolding.

"Fracture at rib 3 and 5, small puncture wounds on the right femur, same with the left humerus. Wait…" Rhea picked up the humerus examining it closer. "Not just puncture wounds, these seem to represent a row of teeth." She showed the bone to Murkuro, she nodded in agreement.

"These wounds were painful but not fatal, the clean break at his C5 vertebrae is what killed him. That is my initial assessment."

"Hn. She hasn't told us anything that we didn't already know. She's useless." With his hands shoved in his pockets, Hiei cockily walked into the room. A smug look painted on his face. "Having her here is a waste of our time. She isn't worthy"

Rhea grabbed the scalpel on the table and lunged at Hiei, rage, and pain blinding her "You bastard!" This time it was Mukuro that stopped Rhea's assault, holding her wrist firmly but not enough to cause harm. Mukuro took the scalpel from Rhea's hand, calmly placing it back on the table. "That's enough for now, time to take a break. Ming." Mukuro called and Ming entered the room.

"Take Rhea to her room, it is time for her to rest, we will meet again this evening." Rhea continued to glare at Hiei, the man, no demon, she had grown to hate in such a short amount of time. "Come with me, Ms. Hale." Ming took her hand and gently lead her out of the room.

As they walked the halls Rhea kept her gaze to the floor, tears staining her cheeks. "Here you go." Ming opened the door to her room. "Thanks…" Rhea's voice trembled as she smiled at Ming halfheartedly. "Anymore I can do for you?" Ming gently held Rhea's hand, it was warm and welcoming. Rhea blushed.

"I don't understand why he hates me. When he speaks, he reminds me of everyone back home. They all doubt me and think nothing more of me than a street rat. I hate the way he looks at me and how he always seems to know what buttons to push." Ming brought Rhea closer wiping the tears from her eyes. Rhea liked the way his soft hands felt on her face, a small crush building in her heart for the kind demon.

"Well Ms. Hale, if I may say, in the short time I have known you. I think you are quite remarkable" The compliment caught Rhea off guard so she smiled in response. "Rest now, I will bring you lunch in a little while." His warm smile touched Rhea's heart.

In the corner of her eye, something familiar caught Rhea's eye. The wind of the open porthole-like window made her leafy green plant friend look like he was waving to her. "Ming! It's Fred! Where did you find him?"

"Unfortunately, I don't know what you are talking about." Ming rubbed the back of his head. "In fact, I didn't know until now what a fern from the human world even really looked like. Someone else must have brought it. I suggest locking your door from now on" He smiled "But I'm glad the two of you are reunited."

Rhea watched Fred dance in the wind, a smile coming to her face. She thought Fred was gone for good but here he was sitting in her room. She felt something bubble inside her as touched the leaves of her friend. It is what someone might call new found hope.

 **Hey, everyone! Thank you for reading! I really like the way this chapter ended. I know it might be a bit slow at first but I really want to build Rhea and Ming as a character so what happens in the next chapters makes sense! What do you all think of Ming and Rhea? What do you think is up with Hiei? Thank you for those that have left reviews! I am working on my writing and plan to use this story as stress relief! Thanks for the support! Xoxo Stay tuned!**


	3. Mole

**Day 30 Hiei's POV**

A new body was found with each passing day. Mukuro's subjects knew to keep quiet, but as the body count got higher the chances of someone leaking information got more likely. Even the privy council was on edge. Course they were supposed to be disbanded considering Mukuro and the other former demon kings all lost their monarchy positions several years ago, after the first demon tournament—But, as the saying goes, old habits die hard.

Sweat from Hiei's brow fell down his cheek. Not even training helped ease his anxious mind. The stress was becoming unbearable and _her_ being here only made things more difficult. She claimed she knew what she was doing but all Hiei could see was a weak human playing doctor. She was out of place and had no business dealing with demon affairs, she is human after all.

Having gotten bored of his training, Hiei walked the halls of the moving fortress. He could hear the human's voice, the honeyed sound reverberated off the walls. When he entered the lab he could see her leaning over the most recent dead body. It was a young girl this time, barely 7 years old. As he stepped closer he sensed another presence and quickly stepped back into the shadows.

Heavy cologne tainted the air, burning Hiei's nose, as Ming stepped into the room. He carried with him hot tea and small rice cakes. Setting the kettle on one of the side tables Ming leaned closer to Rhea whispering something to her, his lips barely grazing her ear. Hiei couldn't see Rhea's face as she wore a surgical mask, but the red blotches that arose on her chest and neck were enough to let Hiei know what was going on here.

"What the hell do you think you both are doing?" Rhea jumped at the sound of Hiei's voice but Ming merely smirked. It took every amount of self-restraint Hiei had not to kill him.

"Just bringing Rhea her tea," Ming explained placing his hand on top of Rhea's. Disgusting.

"Leave. Us." Ming nodded his good-byes to Rhea, knowing better than to disobey Hiei's command. For a moment, the two stood in silence. Hiei could tell Rhea was ignoring his presence, refusing to look at him, behaving like the child he saw her as. He gritted his teeth together and stepped closer to the table, her stubbornness getting under his skin.

The decay the body had was substantial, the demon air acted as a catalyst making the delicate flesh deteriorate at an unnatural rate. From what Rhea told Mukuro, this makes it harder for her to pin when the victims were murdered as well as how. An easy excuse.

Hiei watched Rhea's hands work with the flesh, taking measurements of bone and writing her findings on tattered paper. She wasn't as clumsy as she was a few days ago, the tremors she used to have started to become less notable. For once her movements seemed almost intentional like she knew what she was doing.

"It is foolish to trust someone you barely know, not to mention let them get close to you."

Rhea continued writing, the sound of pen on paper filling the silence. Hiei grabbed her wrist, yanking it upward, causing her to drop her pen. He squeezed with enough force to cause her to wince, but she didn't make a sound. Even if she was foolish, she had balls, Hiei would give her that.

"So, tell me, who should I trust then? You? The demon that has done nothing except threaten me since I've been here? Don't make me laugh." Rhea's eyes were hard and cold, but this wasn't anything Hiei wasn't used too.

He held Rhea's wrist causing the sleeve of her shirt to fall, revealing a long jagged scar on the back of her upper arm. Hiei eyed it contemplating what would have caused such an injury. It obviously was not from a blade. The scar was deep and irregular but judging by its color it was completely healed and most likely many years old. Something she acquired when she was much younger? Probably. Hiei contemplated the healed wound for some time before the soft touch pulled his train of thought to the present. Rhea had wrapped her free hand around his wrist, trying to pull away from his grasp. Hiei released her, careful to keep his expression stoic. Before Rhea could utter another word, Hiei left the room.

Hiei decided to keep his distance from the woman as much as possible for the rest of the day. He leaped from tree to tree as the light left the Makai sky. Night would soon fall, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with weak demons looking to pick a fight. When he made it back to the fortress the halls were empty. Dinner time he supposed.

Hiei walked past the dining hall and scanned the room. No sign of the woman, or Ming, not that he cared. Since his appetite wasn't what it used to be he decided to skip dinner. He would eat in the morning. Walking would better suit his nerves.

As he made his way down various hallways his senses suddenly flared. He could sense danger, and it was close. With his hand on the hilt of his sword, he crept close to the wall. Following his senses towards Rhea's room, he could hear an unfamiliar demonic voice.

A dark heavy energy filled the space, its presence snuffed the lighting of the halls. Using the shadows to hide Hiei slowed his pace as two figures became outlined before him. One he could tell was Rhea pinned to the wall, the other was a demon, a demon he had never seen before.

 _They had been infiltrated._

Hiei took a few steps closer, taking care to hide his presence.

"I don't know why my boss sees a human like you as such a threat but… apparently, you know too much human bitch" The demon spoke, threading Rhea's hair through his black scaled fingers, white claws glinting in the scant lighting. After looking more closely at Rhea he could see the demon thug had his right hand wrapped tightly around Rhea's neck. She clutched as his claws, trying to wrench them away, but her efforts were useless. This demon obviously had the upper hand.

Hiei continued watching as Rhea withered under the demons' clutches. It was clear if he didn't do something soon the human would die. The demon thug laughed dragging the sharp claw of his left index finger from Rhea's temple down to her chin leaving behind a thin line of crimson red. Rhea's tears mixed with the blood, droplets dotting the floor. She tried to turn her face away.

"Oh no no no, don't do that. This is my favorite part." The demon pulled Rhea's face forward, leaning in his snake-like tongue lapped at the blood dripping down her cheek. Like a child playing with its food. The thugs' eyes closed savoring the taste, he moaned in deep pleasure, shark-like teeth exposed with an evil smile.  
"You taste so good. It's been a long time since I've had a human woman. They taste the best you know… next to children." In an instant Hiei appeared before the two, driving his sword into the demon. Not enough to kill him, just enough that he would lose consciousness. Hiei planned on interrogating him later. As the demon's consciousness slipped away, the dark aura retreating with it, the lighting returned.

Confident the demon thug wouldn't wake, Hiei turned his attention to Rhea, who was crumpled in a ball on the floor. Her body trembled with fear.

"Stand," Hiei ordered in vain.

Demons began to flood the halls, loud laughter and banter filled the air, they were headed their way. Hiei knew he needed to get Rhea out of there before anyone could see. He grabbed under her arm and sharply pulled her to her feet.

"We need to get you to the infirmary." Hiei shouldered part of her weight as they moved down the hall. Rhea was barely able to lift her feet as she tried to keep up the pace. At this rate, someone would see the two. Having enough of the human's inability to carry her own weight, he pulled her off his shoulder to face him. Her face was painted in her own blood and tears. Hiei couldn't tell if he hated or pitied her more. She was, after all, a casualty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That is why she is even here in the first place. Speaking of time, it was something they were running out of.

Reluctantly, Hiei knelt and lifted Rhea carrying her in a fireman's position. It would allow him to carry her the fastest with her weight directly over his upper back. He moved quickly, darting down the least traveled halls to the infirmary. When he finally got there, he kicked open the doors startling the nurses. Ignoring their questions, he scanned the room and found the first open bed, the white sheets a welcoming beacon.

As gently as he could he laid Rhea onto the bed, the nurses taking over from there. He took a few steps back from the bed and caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror. Sticky red blotches were scattered on his upper arms and shoulders. It was _her_ blood. His upper lip curled up slightly, normally he didn't care if blood coated his entire being but something about her blood being on him bothered him immensely. It wasn't, to his disappointment, disgust that he felt but… the tinge of uneasiness that settled into his chest.

"What happened?" The charge nurse questioned Hiei, pulling him from his thoughts.

"That's none of your concern." Hiei retorted the daunting tones of the monitoring machines sounded causing the nurse to look back to Rhea. She was laying there, eyes closed, unresponsive. This was bad.

"Can't you help her?" Hiei questioned the charge nurse returned her attention to Hiei. Her jet-black eyes bore into him with such intensity he felt like _he_ was being silently accused of the woman's current state. He almost hit the bitch, but that would help nothing.

"She's in shock. Given the contusions around her neck, I would say it is from the lack of oxygen to her brain. When we hooked her up to the EKG she was tachy. The mix of the two caused her nervous system to shut down. Though I'm not sure if there are other internal injuries at this time." The nurse paused examining Rhea for a moment.

"We will do everything we can to save her if we don't get her breathing back soon it will cause brain damage and eventually death." He took the report in, mulling it over. It wouldn't be that bad if the human died, would it? After all, if she is too weak to defend herself she deserved to die. Even with all the changes to the laws of the Makai, that law remained the same.

However, if she died, Mukuro would be livid and blame him for the woman's weakness. To Mukuro this woman was their savior, the person that would get them out of this mess. As she put it.

"If she dies, you die." Hiei threatened. He'd rather deal with the human than an already on edge Mukuro. The nurse gave him a tight nod and went back to work with her team, she was used to his threats, and never once failed him. This time though, he could see she was worried.

He watched on for a moment. The medical team hooking up the girl to various machines and tubbing, injecting her with medication and fluids. Hiei's eyes fell on Rhea's face. The team had wiped away some of the blood leaving red streaks across her face, though the bleeding had not stopped. It continued to ooze and pool in her hair, causing it to become sticky and matted. She would need stitches if she made it out of this alive.

Hiei decided he had done what he could for the woman and dismissed himself from the room, leaving the medical professionals to do their jobs. Now he needed to get back to the body before anyone found it or the thug awoke and escaped.

He dashed down the halls like lightning. Without the woman's extra weight, he was able to move down the hall with such great speed he was undetectable to most demons. When he arrived at his destination a deep sense of dread filled his stomach like a heavy weight. The body was gone, the blood cleaned.

Who could have done this in such short of time? He had no idea but knew he needed to get to Mukuro. He swiftly ran to her sanctuary, yelling at himself for spending so much time with the human. It was a mistake to get distracted from the goal, and now he was going to pay for it.

He arrived at the black heavy doors of Mukuro's room, pushing them open, not carrying what she was doing. When he entered he found Mukuro standing, arms crossed, her mouth in a tight line. He could tell by her stance that she already knew. Fuck.

"Mind telling us what the hell is going on man?" A familiar voice Hiei hadn't heard in sometime broke the tension. He looked over to see his friend Yusuke with his thumb pointing behind him. On the table, Yusuke was pointing to the thug demon laid, shackled to the wall. A slight relief came over Hiei, happy to see the intruder hadn't gotten away.

"Yes, it seems things have gotten quite out of hand." Another familiar voice, Kurama came into view, his eyes probing as usual. The three stepped closer to Hiei.

"Dude! You're coved in blood!" Yusuke exclaimed you would never guess the man was a young Masoku. Most demon's find it a normal occurrence to be covered in another's blood.

"Hiei, tell us what is going on…" Mukuro finally spoke. Hiei could tell she was holding back her urge to kill him.

"What do you mean the girl isn't stable?" Mukuro slammed her fists into the table at the center of the room they were all seated at. Hiei had his eyes closed, feet propped up on the surface of the table, as usual, his arms crossed. He had just finished telling the group what had happened.

"The charge nurse and her team are doing everything they can," Hiei added knowing it didn't really help. He brought his attention back to the intruder.

"When did you two get here?" Hiei questioned, he would never admit it but he was happy to see the both of them.

"Yusuke and I have noticed an increase in missing children, some are starting to notice, but no official investigation has been opened yet. We thought we would come and see what progress has been made." Kurama said plainly his expression indifferent.

"Yea, then we arrived we felt that weird energy and headed towards it. Got there when you took the girl to the infirmary, grabbed the body and figured you would come here next when you found the body not there." Yusuke took a sip of his tea and set it back down. He and Kurama were hiding something but Hiei couldn't tell what. He decided to dismiss it for now.

"By the way, What the hell is up with the human… thought you guys were supposed to send them back when you found em'." Hiei decided to let Mukuro answer Yusuke's question. It was her idea after all.

Mukuro rubbed her eyes and brought her gaze to the group. It was then that Hiei noticed how, tired, she looked. The stress was taking its toll.

"The girl has knowledge. She can help us figure out who is doing this. She's smart" He grunted at the comment.

"She's smart? If she was smart she wouldn't have gotten caught in that _things_ clutches! And now, of all things we have a _mole_ in our midst?" Hiei was beginning to lose his temper, this was her fault, this was all her fault. He was tired of Mukuro making judgment calls on a gut feeling rather than fact. She was getting desperate and it was painfully obvious. It infuriated Hiei to see her act out of such weakness.

"You want to fight now Hiei? Is that what you want? Is that how you wish to use your time? You were supposed to keep an eye on her! Make sure this wouldn't happen and you failed." Hiei pushed away from the table and stood Mukuro followed suit, their energies flaring.

"Christ you two calm down!" Yusuke stood as well, getting in-between the two holding both of his hands out. Though neither pulled back their energy.

"We need to remain calm here. This is what the enemy wants." Kurama, who remained seated with his legs crossed, hands folded coolly added. With some hesitation Hiei pulled back his energy, he knew his oldest friend was right. He decided to take a seat crossing his arms over his body. He was done with this conversation.

Mukuro looked over at the demon thug that still laid on the table unconscious. She finally called her energy back and strode over to the beast.

"Kurama, how long will the herbs last that you gave him?" Her voice was low.

"At least another 12 hours or so. I gave him an extra dose to be sure he would stay asleep and not hear our conversation." He answered, examining her. It seemed the thousand-year-old fox hadn't lost his touch. Hiei wondered what he was planning.

"I will take him to the tower to be interrogated when he wakes. I want updates on the girl and if anything else should arise I want to be notified _immediately._ I also want the three of you to be out of my room and sights by the time I return." Mukuro stated and swiftly left the room with the body.

"Damn, seems like you two lovebirds are more like wolves these days." Yusuke rubbed under his nose before placing his hands behind his head.

Hiei shot him a look but chose not to respond, he knew that this was Yusuke's way of trying to lighten the mood. Besides, Yusuke knew there was never anything that even closely resembled love between himself and Mukuro. Mutual respect? Sure, but love would never be something Hiei was capable of and he was more than fine with that.

"We need to talk Hiei, the girl being here concerns me, she is at risk." Kurama broke the silence his eyes filled with worry and concern.

" I know that, but it wasn't my call," Hiei responded nonchalantly. Kurama nodded in understanding. Before the next thought could be expressed a frantic pounding came at Mukuro's door. The charge nurse bursting through the door. Hiei stood first followed by the others.

"It's Rhea!"

 **Finally! The third chapter! I worked really hard on this and it took me awhile. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Thank you to those that left me comments/reviews about the last two chapters They really help me become a better writer and give me motivation to keep writing. Anyways, what do you guys think of this chapter? What are you thinking of Ming? Am I doing ok in keeping Hiei in-character? At first this chapter was not easy to write because of was nervous I was writing Hiei out of character! Please let me know what you think!**

 **PSA: Be nice to people—the world need more love and less hate.**


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